The Montréal Victoire had a standout season, and it’s hard to narrow down their top moments to just three. Honourable mentions go to Marie-Philip Poulin’s backhanded overtime winner against Minnesota in the regular season, her triple-overtime winner in the semifinals, Ann-Renée Desbiens’s clutch moment holding the ladder to help fix the glass, and Abby Roque’s black eye.
Moment #3: Abby Roque’s between-the-legs goal against her former team
When Abby Roque was traded to the Victoire from the New York Sirens during the 2025 draft, many wondered whether the team’s fans would embrace her. Well, no better way to win the home crowd over than pulling off this ridiculous breakaway move for her first goal in a Montréal jersey.
Moment #2: Ann-Renée Desbiens’s windmill save
On May 12, 2026, Montréal’s season was on the line. In Game 5 of the semifinals against the Frost, Montréal was playing to finally make it past the first round of the playoffs. Desbiens, who had a world-class season, made an old-school save to hold the Victoire’s lead in the second period.
Moment #1: Winning the Walter Cup
Could the top moment have been anything else? The Montréal Victoire, after having missed the finals two seasons in a row, beat the reigning champs in the Minnesota Frost in the semis. At last with a chance to win the Walter Cup, they matched up against the Ottawa Charge in the finals. The Charge had defeated them in four games in last season’s semis.
Montréal won the first two games at home in overtime, thanks to game-winners from Maggie Flaherty and Abby Roque’s facemask. Game 3, in front of a record-breaking crowd in Ottawa, went in favour of the Charge.
In Game 5, the Victoire came out with renewed energy. Roque scored the first goal of the game, then potted a sweet jailbreak goal to break her captain out of the box. Flaherty made it 3–0 from the point, and Lina Ljungblom sealed the deal by walking around goaltender Gwyneth Philips for the fourth and final goal of the contest. Desbiens remained perfect in net, stopping all 23 shots she faced. Poulin was named the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP.
The achievement was special not just for the players and fans but also for the staff. Assistant coaches Caroline Ouellette and Noémie Marin, as well as strength and conditioning coach Emmanuelle Blais, played alongside Poulin the last time a women’s hockey championship was won in Ottawa—the 2017 Clarkson Cup. The four of them played for the Montréal Canadiennes of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League when their team won in that very same building. Leagues like the CWHL and players like Ouellette, Marin, and Blais helped pave the way for the PWHL.
The team also celebrated with a parade of thousands along Montréal’s main street, Sainte-Catherine, on May 30th. This summer, the Cup is sure to make an appearance in many places across the world as players bring it home to share it with the communities that made their careers possible.
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